North Cascades is one of the hidden gems of Washington state. It is a little bit off of the beaten path and not quite as well recognized as Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks.

You go on a 5-mile hike that takes you up 3,000 vertical feet and opens you into the alpine and incredible views of jagged peaks and hanging glaciers. Fall was in full affect so we were surrounded by a myriad of green, yellow, orange and red. We did a hike on the eastern side of the park and crossed the Pacific Crest Trail where we met hikers who were finishing their multiple month and several thousand mile hikes. We even created a new culinary delight, that you can see below!

This is from the hike up Sourdough Mountain, such an incredibly beautiful place!

On Trapper's peak above Thornton Lakes

Cutthroat Lake, we hiked up to the pass where the trail crosses the Pacific Crest Trail

While the mountains, glaciers and trees are certainly magnificent, the tiny foliage is also amazing